Under water respirator masks



Dec. 6, 1955 A. MAILLE 2,725,876

UNDER WATER RESPIRATOR MASKS Filed July 9, 1952 IN VENTOR AND/2E MA/LLE BY flux/M again 7C1 AGENTS United States Patent UNDER WATER RESPIRATOR MASKS Andr Maille, St. Raphael, France Application July 9, 1952, Serial No. 297,921 Claims priority, application France July 19, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-142) The joint use of a mask and respirator, in one or more units, for under-water fishing or swimming, is common practice, but users frequently complain of various disadvantages: the respirator reduces the field of vision; it compels the user to breathe through the mouth; it becomes filled with water when the swimmer dives or changes his posture under water; it tires the lips and jaws.

The invention refers to an under-water respiratormask providing unrestricted vision and breathing through the nose, essentially composed of and characterized by the following component units taken together or separately:

1. A mask of the known type, generally oval, covering the eyes and nose;

2. One or several rigid or flexible respirator tubes mounted on the periphery of this mask, enfolding the head and connecting with each other at the air intake device;

3. An air intake device ensuring absolute water-tightness, whatever may be the swimmers posture, through the action of two balls, one lighter and the other heavier than water, bearing on suitable seats; or of two valves of any type actuated by gravity and the difference between their densities and that of water;

4. Elastic fittings on the respirator tubes serving as pressure equalizers.

The device may beutilised alone for natural breathing. It is clear that it leaves an unrestricted field of vision, allows normal breathing through the nose without fatigue; leaves the mouth quite free without tiring the jaws and allows immediate inhaling when the swimmer emerges.

A mask provided with these features tires the swimmer much less and gives a beginner a much greater feeling of security.

Pressure equalization, obtained by means of the elastic fittings, prevents the mask being crushed against the swimmers face. The glass is kept always clear, without blurring, by constant circulation of air on the mask. Finally, a main feature of this mask is that it enables the user to assume any posture when swimming under water.

When the mask is used in conjunction with air bottles connected to the air intake device by any means, long periods may be spent under water.

One embodiment of the invention, given as an illustrative but not limiting example, is described below and shown in the accompanying drawings which represent:

Figure l, a view in perspective of a respirator mask embodying the invention;

Figure 2, a diagrammatic cross section of the air intake device intended to demonstrate its principle and working.

On Figure 1 we see a mask 1 of the usual type made of moulded rubber or other material, with an oval front glass 2 covering the swimmers eyes and nose. The rubber edge 3 is held against the swimmers face by a belt or other means and ensures the watertightness of the mask.

2,725,876 Patented Dec. 1955 On the periphery of the mask 1 are mounted any; num-. ber of air intakes, therebeing three, 4, 5 and 6, in the example described; these are watertight orifices to which respirator tubes 7, 8 and 9 made of any flexible, rigid or semi-flexible material are fitted by means of elastic couplings serving as pressure equalizers.

It can be seen that the three respirator tubes enfold the swimmers head loosely; they may thus serve as a safety device, avoiding loss of the mask if the belt fixing the mask should give way.

The three respirator tubes 7, 8 and 9 are connected at their upper ends to the air intake device 13 by three other elastic couplings 14, 15 and 16, which also act as pressure equalizers.

The air intake device 13, generally made of any rigid plastic material or metal, consists, as shown in Figure 2, of an admission chamber 17, where the outgoing connections of the respirator tubes may be seen; especially, on Figure 2, the outgoing connections 18 and 19 of respirator tubes 7 and 9, of which only the elastic couplings 14 and 16 are shown. The device 13 includes an air intake passageway 26 communicating with the admission chamber 17. The intake passageway opens toward the mask with its axis on a plane normal to the plane of the front of the mask.

Outside air is only admitted into chamber 17 after passing through two valves, against the seats 20 and 21 of which, balls 22 and 23 may be pressed in a watertight manner. These balls are held close to their seats by housings 24 and 25 of any kind. The valve seats are semi-circular and arranged one behind the other on the axis of the air intake passageway.

The ball 22, reproducing a known device commonly utilised in respirators, is very light (density much less than that of water and generally of the table tennis ball or any other type). The ball 23, on the contrary, is very heavy, of a density much higher than that of water, and may be, for instance, of agate or polished metal.

The device formed by ball 22 and its seat 20 works in the ordinary way; it allows breathing when the swimmers face is under water and the air intake 13 is above water. Should the air intake 13 dip below the surface in its normal position, the ball 22, having a tendency to float, presses against seat 20 and prevents the entry of any water.

The heavy ball only comes into play if the swimmer, while under water, finds that it is necessary to take up a posture which reverses the normal position of the air intake 13, that is to say if the swimmer looks towards the surface of the water.

It can be understood that, at this moment, the hollow ball 22, which always tends to rise to the surface, has a tendency to leave seat 20,'and the respirator and mask would fill with water if the heavy ball 23 were not just then pressed by its own weight against seat 21, and did not, in this way, prevent entry of water into chamber 17.

The swimmer, consequently, may adopt any posture under water without the risk of seeing his respirator and mask fill with water.

What I claim is:

1. An air intake device for use on an under-water respirator having a mask enclosing the eyes and nose of the wearer and at least one tube extended to the back of the head from the mask, said device comprising a hollow body mounted on the rear end of the tube and having an internal chamber communicated with said tube, said body having an air intake passageway formed with spaced valve seats, and freely movable valve members in said passageway and engageable with said valve seats, one of said valve members being of a density less than that of water and the other being of a density greater than that of water.

2. A device according toclaim 1, wherein said passageway opens toward the "mask with-its axis on a plane normal to the plane of the front of the mask, said valve seats are arranged one behind the other,.and said valve memher-which has a density less than that of water is positinned adjacent the open end 'of said passageway.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said valve seats are semi-circular and said valve members are iu the form of balls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 3, 

